Asian Players Tackle Smart Grid

Asian energy leaders and industry players will be tackling technological platforms as well as policy concerns that could underpin smart grid applications among power systems in the region.

The venue in sorting out such issues will be this week’s conference of the International Electric Research Exchange (IERE) which will be hosted this year by Philippine industry players led by the Manila Electric Company.

The conference will primarily deal with technological issues and solutions (TIS); and the exchange will enable Asian countries to learn from each other’s experiences.

Apart from smart grid, talks will also focus on other emerging and innovative technologies in the energy sector, such as clean coal technologies; new generation technologies; renewable energy and maintenance and diagnosis technologies, among others.

Smart grid is chiefly significant with many of the electricity markets, not only in the region but even the more advanced countries, traversing that path of modernizing power grids.

Based on IERE’s prescription, “smart grid, if it is properly used, will contribute to the effective use of electricity.”

During the conference’s session on this, it was noted that “various examples of local application of smart grid will be introduced.”

On the domestic front, Meralco has been programming up to P40 billion worth of investments for its “smart grid aspiration.”

It will be a multi-tiered network modernization approach which shall integrate intelligent metering and prepaid systems as well as mass-scale deployment of electric vehicles.

The utility firm has been working on a preliminary technical rollout of its prepaid meters this quarter, with a target of commercial deployment by mid-year.

Putting on the road electric vehicles will be next on its agenda, but it is devoting more extensive study yet on related applications, especially the charging stations. (MMV)